


roll for ingenuity

by couldaughter



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sixth Form, Gen, peter quill is a nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-19 18:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1480030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/couldaughter/pseuds/couldaughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter took that as the 'shut the fuck up, Quill' he knew it was intended to be, and jammed his earphones in. Taylor Swift would never tell him to shut the fuck up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	roll for ingenuity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notquiteaghost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notquiteaghost/gifts).



“Roll for attack.”

A twenty sided die rattled across the table.

“18! Fuck yes, Star-lord is once more victorious!” Peter Quill, gentleman explorer and expert on the Elder Gods, punched the air enthusiastically and then, teetering on the back legs of his chair for a moment, fell backwards to the floor with a crash.

Gamora, who was the games master every third Friday of the month, shot him a withering glare. “The serpent suffers a critical wound, but in its death throes bites Peter in the neck, killing him instantly. The intense fear he feels in the moments before his tragic death make Peter shit his pants.”

“What? No, dude, that's so unfair.”

Groot grunted from his seat in what might have been support, but with Groot it was always hard to tell.

“It's in the rules, Quill. Rule 15: 'Don't be a fucking asshole about a lucky roll.'”

Peter grabbed the book from her, and ran his finger down the rules list. “This is written in pencil. I just- I just can't believe you would deface a Call of Cthulhu book in such a manner. I'm surprised he hasn't risen from the depths and driven you to the deepest pits of despair yet, I mean seriously. This is such a dick move.”

Gamora didn't even look up from her notepad. “Quill, shut the fuck up.”

Peter, knowing when he was beaten, sat down and sulkily made a zipping motion across his lips. He was working on a pout to melt even the stoniest of hearts, but it was slow going.

Gamora shook her head and tugged the book back out of his grasp. “Rocket, what's your move?”

The pile of knitted clothes on the chair next to Groot moved slightly, and a head popped out from between a pair of yellow socks and a striped scarf. “We're still in the caves, right?”

“Yes.”

“How much of a dick move would it be to steal all Peter's shit and run off.”

“Roll for ingenuity.”

\-----

School rolls around with the inevitability of a winter cold. Coincidentally, Peter wakes up on Monday and is pretty certain he's going to die of exposure, because the house is fucking freezing. Maybe living on his own at seventeen had been a bad idea, but like fuck was he going to move out just because his family wasn't around to pay for shit like boilers and real food.

His alarm clock beeped at him mercilessly. Peter was 100% certain it wanted him to die a horrible, sleep deprived death.

Stumbling into the sixth form centre at ten past nine was not the way he'd planned to start his school week, but at least his lesson had been cancelled – any more absences and he was going to get strung up outside the school reception area by his dick. It was in the letter the school'd sent home, and ok, he was paraphrasing, but still. Dick trauma.

Gamora was sat in the nice chair, which was her right as the only person in the group who ever arrived on time, reading what looked like an actual revision book. Something was very wrong.

Peter flopped down onto the seat across from her, his feet propped up on the round table covered in unwashed mugs, and grinned. “So, when did you start studying for shit?”

The look Gamora gave him for that could have melted steel, but she did reply. “Coulson's making me tutor this girl. Apparently it's because it might 'improve my social skills' or some bullshit.”

“Oooooh, a _girl_.” Peter waggled his eyebrows. He was really fucking good at waggling his eyebrows. It was practically a marketable skill, like the Cadbury advert in real life.

Gamora punched him in the shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise, and turned back to the book.

Peter sat in slightly terrified silence for the next ten minutes, then reminded himself that he was an 18 year old man and could totally ask a simple question. Would Star-lord back down from something because he was too chickenshit to say anything? Fuck no! Star-lord was such a great motivator.

“So,” he started, elongating the word several seconds longer than necessary. “When're you meeting this mysterious girl.” He peeked at the revision book. “This mysterious... failing physicist?”

“None of your fucking business, Quill,” snapped Gamora. “I'm not missing any of our gaming sessions, if that's what you're so fucking worried about.”

Peter took that as the 'shut the fuck up, Quill' he knew it was intended to be, and jammed his earphones in. Taylor Swift would never tell him to shut the fuck up.

\-----

The bell rung just as the Space Jam theme came on shuffle, and Rocket rushed through the door like he was getting chased by a pack of hungry dogs – which had happened before. Peter might've been more inclined to sympathy if Rocket hadn't then jumped on top of him.

“What the fuck, dude. Keep your ass to your own seat, Jesus Christ.”

Rocket flipped him off with his tiny, tiny hand and then turned back to Gamora, making sure to grind his butt down further into Peter's torso. Seriously, when did all of Peter's friends become assholes.

He sighed, letting his head fall back down, and bobbed it a little to the fucking good tune that was the Space Jam theme. He manfully restrained himself from humming it, though. The last time he'd slipped out with 'come on and slam' Groot had thrown a book at his stomach. A really thick book.

Speaking of, where the fuck was Groot.

“Yo, where the fuck is Groot?”

“Probably in class, shithead.” Rocket seemed unconcerned, but Peter would've sworn on his mum's life (if she was still alive) that Groot had a free second on Mondays. He dropped it, anyway, because Rocket had a short temper and sharp claws.

Gamora had looked up from her physics crash course, though. “Actually, Quill's got a point. Groot should be here, and he's got no reason to avoid us. Unless-” She sent a pointed glare at Rocket, who shrugged.

At that moment, however, their worries were interrupted by Groot's arrival, accompanied by someone who seemed to be quite eager to leave him.

“Christ, if this guy's not your friend I'm not responsible for the damage I'll do him.” The scottish accent was a little unexpected coming from the tall, imposing figure stood next to Groot, but the language was pretty standard. Nearly everyone at the school was sick of it before a month was out.

“Uh,” said Peter uncertainly. “Not to be rude, but, like, who even are you?”

This was clearly the wrong thing to say, since whoever it was suddenly became a lot larger as they loomed into his precious personal bubble. “What does it matter to you, sunshine?”

“N-nothing, dude, I was just wondering.” They seemed pleased by his fear, if nothing else, and backed up a little bit.

The stranger straightened up and turned towards Gamora, a smirk firmly in place on their lips. “Name's Nebula – I was supposed to come find you, yeah? Reckoned I'd follow the freak brick road. A girl's gotta have some initiative these days.” Nebula seemed pleased with herself, and Gamora seemed almost amused by her new friend- acquaintance- person, but Peter was still confused.

He sighed quietly and resigned himself to staying that way for a while. Nebula looked like she might cut his throat if he said anything else.

Seriously, what the fuck did he do to deserve friends like these.

**Author's Note:**

> so we got into a really intense discussion on twitter about how sixth form aus need to happen more often and. uh. this happened. it's not technically finished but i've hit a wall with it so i thought i'd post it as-is and see what happened.


End file.
